They Died In Their Sleep
by ForeverNocturnal
Summary: They died in their sleep. Something that sounds peaceful, however Joanne is about to find out just how brutal it can be.  I'm crap at summaries. It's better than it sounds. I hope :l  Promise.
1. Chapter 1

**You have NO idea how long this took me to get right, and then publish on this damn website in a way that I was content with! ¬¬**

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A shrill scream pierced the silence.

Joanne sat up in her bed, trying to figure out if she'd been dreaming or not.

"OH GOD, NO. PLEASE NO."

She was definitely awake. Throwing back her covers, she crossed her room and slid her door open, just enough for a single beam of light to penetrate the darkness of her room. Peaking through the crack, she saw her parents and older brother crowded round the thresh-hold of her sisters room. Her mothers body was shaking with sobs. Her father stood unmoving. Joanne flung open her door and approached her family. "What's going on?" She asked, unto unhearing ears. "Daddy?" She tugged at her fathers pyjama bottoms, still recieving no reply. Getting slightly irritated, she made to push her way through the small crowd, when she found a cool hand being placed over her eyes and her feet departing the floor. She began to flail, until the person removed their hand and she found herself in her brothers room.

"Where's Casey?" Joanne demanded.

Chris looked around his room, looking for a way out of his youngest sisters question.

"She's going to the hospital." He finally answered.

"Why?"

"Because she's not well."

"Has she got a cold?" Joanne asked, tilting her head slightly. "Because I had a cold and -"

"No," Chris cut her off. "I don't know what's wrong with her, but she's going to hospital to get better." Joanne looked at her older brother curiously before sitting beside him and cuddeling up to him. It didn't take her long to fall into another slumber. Chris put a protective arm around his little sister and waiting on his parents to return from talking to the paramedics. And the police.

It was several hours, before he heard the front door being shut and locked. A pair of footsteps ascended the staircase and opened his door. His parents stood in his door way, pale-faced and shaking. Chris gently shook Joanne awake as his parents sat on his bed.

"Is Casey better?" Joanne asked, rubbing her bleary eyes. "Did the hospital make her okay again?"

Their father shook his head, and tears welled in their mothers eyes.

"Casey's ...Not going to get better, honey. She's with the angels now."

Chris let out a groan, before attacking the nearest wall. His father sprang up, trying to calm the distraught boy down, while Joanne cuddled up to her mother.

"How did Casey get to be with the angels?" She asked, a single tear rolled down her cheek, and Chris collapsed to the floor, his fathers arms still around him. His grunts dissolved into sobs.

Her mother wrapped her arms around the six-year old and burried her face in her childs hair, before replying

"She died in her sleep."

Joanne hugged her mother back, only to find she had become stiff and cold. Looking up, she reeled back in horror, her family had become corpses. She fell off her mothers lap, her now sixteen year old self's weight, to heavy for the rotting corpse. She braced herself for the impact, but it didn't happen. She was falling through darkness, she screamed in spite of herself, when she finally hit a concrete flooring with a painful thump. Getting to her feet, she dusted herself off and looked around the more than familiar boiler room, with it's maze of pipes and snaking chains, suspended from the ceiling.

"Goddamn, here again?" She muttered, making her way through the maze, looking for an exit. She soon found herself in the heart of the establishment, where the cold boiler stood. Folding her arms, she rolled her eyes and sighed. She'd tried the right corridor last night, so left was the way to go. There had to be an exit somewhere. She'd reached the mouth of the corridor when the sound of a sizzling fire being stoked reached her ears. She looked over her shoulder, to see the usually cold boiler, roar into life. The tempreature of the room quickly increased and she felt perspiration slide down her back. She sprinted down the corrioder, her arms protectivly around her head, as the heated steam issuing from the pipes obscuered her vision. She soon found herself on the floor. Squinting up to see what she'd banged into, she cursed at the wall. A dead end. Scrambling back to her standing position, she doubled back, reaching the boiler in half the time it had taken her to run from it. Heart racing, she looked around for another way out.

SCREEECH. A horrific noise, of metal on metal filled the air, causing Joanne to slap her hands to her ears and let out a wail. Just when she thought her brain might implode from the sudden noise, it stopped. She dropped her hands and scanned the room for the source, but found nothingness. She had a feeling, however, she wasn't alone. As if to confirm her thoughts, a laugh filled the air. The laugh made the hair on the back of Joanne's neck stand on end, and goosepimples break over her arms. Her eyes still scanning the room, she back away slowly and turned, ready to run, when someone grabbed her shoulders and began to shake her. She screamed, and the sound of a clanging bell filled the hair. She succumed to the darkness over-coming her.

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**A/N: So this is my first ever NOES Ff (: I know, the indtroduction sucks, but my imagination levels are dangerously low, for a writer. :( I only dared write this because I succumbed to a new level of bored. Anyway, I'd greatly appreciate comments on your thoughts and how to improve. But, remember, criticize, but don't be rude.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Okay, so I just have to say, thank you, for the reviews. Also, any suggestions, I'd love to hear them. (:**

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She was still in darkness, being shaken. The bell still annoyingly ringing.

"Joanne, wake up! You're going to be late!"

Late? What?

The darkness lifted as she opened her eyes, to see her brother peering down at her.

"Come on, Jo. Mom's gonna be really pissed if you're late again."

Rubbing her eyes, Joanne sat up.

"Nightmares again?" Chris asked, looking at his sisters state. It had clearly been another restless night for her.

"Yeah," She nodded." The same one."

Ever since she could remember, Joanne had been dreaming of the night they lost Casey. It was a reoccurring dream, as her mother would say. However, she only started going to the boiler room, about a month back and it had always been undisturbed, she had always been alone. Not this time, though. She trembled a little as she remember that laugh. It had sent chills down her spine.

"Maybe you should talk to someone, Jo."

"So that they can tell me it's just memories from a tragedy that happened when I was young, again? I don't think so, Christopher."

He flinched at the use of his full name. He hated it.

"It was just a suggestion." He shot, before leaving.

She felt a little guilty, perhaps she'd been more snappy than she had intended. Getting up, she shook it from her mind, making a mental note to apologise to Chris later.

Making her way to school, Joanne was lost in her own little world. Why did she end up in that boiler room, alone, almost every night? Why was last night different? Who was the person, who laughed? That laugh. It struck fear into the heart of her, but why?

She came to her senses as she bumped into someone.

"Watch where you're going!"

Muttering an apology, she looked up at her school. It was nothing special, just a typical high school, with the cliché cliques. She didn't really fit in with any of them, not that she minded. She actually understood the concept of school was to become educated, not how to apply eye-liner in a straight line, or foundation without tide-marks.

"Jo! Over here!"

Turning to see who had called her, she smiled slightly at the sight of her best friend, Nadine.

"Hey, Nad." After an embrace, Nadine looked at her.

"You've not slept properly, have you?"

Joanne shook her head.

"Nightmares again?"

A nod.

"You should invest in some sleeping pills, Jo. You look tired."

"Sleeping pills don't stop nightmares, Nad."

The shrill bell interrupted their conversation.

"We'd better get a move-on. I don't need another detention."

The sound of pencils scratching on paper, was almost soothing. Joanne's eyelids felt heavy. Stifling a yawn, she shifted in her seat, to wake herself up. Her head dropped, and snapped back up. She couldn't fall asleep, not in class. Only, she wasn't in class. The sounds of classroom had departed, replaced with the sound of hissing steam. The classroom had been replaced with a boiler room.

"Shit!" Getting up from behind her desk, Joanne sighed and started wandering, looking for an exit once more. The heat, making her break out in sweat. She'd barely taken ten steps, when the screeching sound she'd heard last night, filled the air.

"GODDAMN IT, STOP IT!" She screamed, her voice seemed to bounce off the walls. She looked around, trying to find who, or what was making the noise. A movement at her right. Her back stiffened as she became more alert of her surroundings.

"Hello? "

A manic chuckle. She couldn't detect where it was coming from. It seemed to surround her.

"Is anyone here?" She called uncertainly, although already knew she wasn't alone.

"I'm here." A deep scratchy voice called. She scanned the place, trying to locate the owner of the voice, but failed.

Deciding staying in the one spot was a bad idea, she picked up her pace as she tried to calm herself. This was just a dream, nothing could hurt her. She felt a presence from behind and turned. Nothing. She turned forward again, and bumped into a man.

"Oh, I'm so-.." Her words caught in her mouth at the sight of him. His skin, melted and bubbled from atrocious burns. His menacing ice blue eyes, shadowed from the dirty brown fedora, atop his head, and rotten teeth. He wore a torn and dirty red and green stripped sweater, his trousers dusty looking and worn working boots. And on his hand, was a glove, sporting four long, deadly looking razors. He loomed over her, baring his teeth in a menacing sneer.

"It's rude to stare." He said. Joanne averted her eyes, turned on her heels and ran, letting her bodies natural reflexes take over all reason.

The man's cackle filled the air,sending a shiver down her spine as she darted through the corridors and under the pipes. The sound of small children's singing replaced the laugh. A nursery rhyme?

"_One, two, Freddy's coming for you,_

_Three, four, better lock your door._

_Five, six, grab your crucifix._

_Seven, eight, gonna stay up late._

_Nine, ten, _-"

"I'm back, again" The man, presumably Freddy, finished off, cornering Joanne.

She backed into the furthest corner as he advanced, dragged his razors along the pipes.

Joanne whimpered a little, as he stood before her and raised his glove.

"It's just a dream! This isn't real! You're a figment of my imagination!"

The man said nothing, but brought her glove down. Joanne darted under his razors and elbows before he skewered her, his blades just grazing her arm. The pain was enough to make her scream. She began running again, still screaming, Freddy was just behind her.

"Miss Jackson! Are you all right?" Joanne looked up from behind her hands at her teacher. Every pair of eyes in th classroom had turned towards her. Steadying her breathing, she nodded.

"I..I'm fine."

Her teacher looked at her in a disbelieving stare,

"I think you should go home, Miss Jackson."  
Joanne slowly got to her feet and gathered her belongs, muttering that she was fine, more to herself than anyone else.

"Joanne, what happened to your arm?" someone asked.

"Huh?" Joanne looked at her arm, where her sleeve was slashed, there was a gash at her elbow, steadily dripping blood. Just like in her dream.


	3. Chapter 3

Every pair of eyes in the classroom was upon her.

"Miss Jackson, how did you obtain that wound?" Her teacher asked, concern over-coming the suspicion in his voice.

"He cut me..."

"Who cut you?"

"The man! The man in my dream." She was starting to feel dizzy, she didn't like being center of attention at the best of times, let alone when she was stressed and scared.

"Miss Jackson, I think you should go and see the school nurse," Her teacher said, handing her a hall pass.

"I'll go with her, see that she's okay." Nadine added, standing up and gathering Joanne's things for her.

The teacher nodded, "Yes, she does look a little pale. Are you sure you're all right Miss Jackson?"

Joanne nodded and took her bag off of Nadine with her uninjured arm.

"I'm fine..Really."

The teacher nodded once more and allowed Nadine and herself to pass.

"So what really happened?" Nadine asked, once a safe distance from the classroom.

"I..I fell asleep."

"Yes, we all noticed."

"I had a nightmare."

"That's not unusual, is it?"

"This one was." Joanne stopped and turned to Nadine. "There was a man, he was horribly disfigured,burned I think. He..he liked to drag his finger nails over the metal pipes, only it wasn't his finger nails, it was knives. On some sort of glove. He was trying to kill me, but I ran. He cut me. It was real."

Nadine looked at her friend in astonishment and confusion.

"Jo, I think you've been watching too many horror movies. Or lacked to much sleep. It was a dream. Dreams aren't real."

"Then how the fuck do you explain this?" Joanne thrust her arm forward so her elbow was in Nadines face. It was still dripping with blood.

"I don't know! You were thrashing. Maybe you caught yourself on something."

"Like what!"

"I don't know. The desk corner? Look, Joanne, you go around saying that your dreams are real and you're going to get a bad response. You'll end up in Westin Hills. Do you really want to end up there? 'Cause I sure as hell don't want to visit my best friend in a pysch ward."

"Okay. Yeah, you're right." Joanne sighed and started walking again. Nadine fell into step with her, casting her friend worried glances, before leaving her in the hands of the school nurse.

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Joanne closed the front door behind her gently. The nurse had cleaned her wound and sent her home early, telling her to get some rest. She was half way up the stairs when she was stopped.

"What're you doing home early?"

She turned to face her brother.

"I got sent home."

"What for?"

"I hurt myself, accidently."

"What did you do?"

She put her bag down and slid her jacket off her arm, revealing her injury and the ripped sleeve.

"How the fuck did you do that,Joanne?" Chris asked, ascending the stairs and taking hold of her arm to examine her cut more closly.

"I don't know."

He dropped her arm.

"What do you mean you don't know?"  
"I don't know...I fell asleep and -"

Her brother looked at her with expectant eyes, nodding for her to continue.

"...- I had a nightmare. And I woke up with that."

His brow furrowed in confusion.

"...You had a nightmare, and hurt yourself in your sleep?"

Joanne nodded. Technically, it was what had happened, right?

"You have to tell mom and dad. This is getting out of hand."

"What? No! They'll send me to another goddamn therapist!"

"So? Joanne, your nightmares are getting to the point where your hurting yourself, in your sleep. Don't you think that calls for help?"

"Oh, so now, I'm crazy am I?"

"I didn't say that, all I'm saying is that, maybe, there's something that can help these nightmares."

"You can't stop dreams, Chris. You heard them say that yourself."

"Well, there has to be a way you can be helped. We're going to mom and dad about this and that's the end of this discussion. They're going to find out whether you tell them or not."

She felt an over-whelming urge to cry, scream and kick her brother all at once. She felt the tears welling in her eyes.

"Fine. Have it your way. If I end up in Westin Hills, it's your fault."

Chris watched helplessly as his sister stomped up the stairs and slammed her bedroom door.

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**A/N; Sorry for the slight delay. I had this planned out, but the plans disappeared from my mind and I'm now suffering from writers block. However I have other idea's forming. Sadly, it's for a completely different story. :/ Haha. Anyway, Idea's would be appreciated and so would reviews (:**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I'd just like to say a big thank you to Darkness Takes Over and Sereneflower (Sorry if I misspelled that.) for their encouragment and advice (:**

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Joanne sat with her head in her hands. Her hair was a mess from running her fingers through her hair. Chris had told her parents and they had just finished discussing the best options to take.

"It's really for your own good, dear." Her mother said, placing a hand on her daughters leg.

Joanne looked up.

"That's okay for you guys to say. None of you have needed therapy, so you don't know what it's like."

"It's only talking to someone Joanne, it's not going to kill you."

She shot her brother a death glare.

"I didn't say it would harm me, I just don't like talking about it. Besides, I've been before and it hasn't done much, has it?"  
Her parents exchanged looks.

"It could help this time."

"Why do you think that, dad? What makes this time so different from before?"

He looked at her gravely.

"Because you're harming yourself in your sleep. You may have a developed a sleep disorder. They have medication for that type of thing."

Joanne sighed in defeat.

"Fine. I'll go to this goddamn therapy. Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to bed."

Her parents nodded as she bid them good night and went to her room.

She sat in her bed and got as uncomfortable as she could possibly get. She wasn't sleeping tonight.

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_Meanwhile.._

There heat was immense. Almost suffocating. Her bare feet stung as she ran across the grated catwalk, looking for an exit. There was a dark presence here with her and she didn't want to stick around to meet it. She almost jumped down the stairs, and ran admist the labrynth of pipes, the hot steam that streamed out of them, catching her face, leaving trails of liquid running down her skin, making her hair stick to her face. Her lungs started to burn as her heart pumped faster. Stopping, she bent over, hands on her knees, looking around for any means of escape.

A screeching sound filled the air around her, making her ears ring.

"Nadine.."

Regaining her posture, Nadine started to sprint again, pushing aside the hanging chains.

A dark laughter sounded through the establishment and a shadow appeared infront of her, the dim red light distorting it, making it seem more frightening. Nadine stopped and turned the other way, only to find a wall blocking her path. Panting, she stared at it confused. She turned once more, only to find her path blocked once more. This time by a man, if you could call him that.

He raised his right hand, spreading out his hand to expose each blade on his fingers. They glinted ominously. Nadine's eyes widened.

"You're the creep who Joanne told me about!"

He smirked and bowed a little.

"Oh fuck this, someone wake me up!"

"You're not waking up, tonight, little piggie. Your Freddy's now."

Nadine gasped and stumbled to the side to avoid his blades, only to scream as a burning hot pipe made contact with her leg. Freddy took another swipe at her abdomen area. Everything went black.

Nadine sat up in bed, drenched in a cold sweat. Her night clothes were sticking to her body. She threw the covers back and crossed the hall into the bathroom, where she splashed water onto her face.

"It was just a dream." She looked down and saw 4 slash marks on her top, making the material ripple around her body, revealing four skin-deep cuts.

With a shaking hand, she reached down to examine her leg, where an angry red blistered mark was.

"It wasn't a dream...It was real! Joanne was right."

Snapping the light out, she made her way downstairs in the darkness, gripping the banister tightly,

She went into the kitchen and made herself a strong cup of coffee and took two cans of cola, knowing that it included caffine. She had to stay awake.


	5. Chapter 5

Joanne's head snapped round to her door opening.

"Joanne time to-...Oh. You're already awake and dressed.." Chris entered her room, looking slightly confused.

Joanne nodded.

"Better get my ass down stairs before mom blows a fuse, right?"

"Yeah."

She slid past her brother and went down stairs into the kitchen, where her parents were eating breakfast.

"Morning. Did you sleep okay?" Her mother asked.

Joanne nodded.

"No nightmares?" Her father questioned.

"Nope. None."

They raised their eyebrows but decided to leave it at that.

Joanne ate her breakfast in silence, then grabbed her bag.

"Bye mom, bye dad. I'll see you after school." She closed the front door before either of her parents could reply and rubbed her eyes, jogging to school to keep herself stimulated.

"Joanne!"

Joanne stopped and turned to see who had called her name, to see Nadine running up to her.

"Joanne you're not crazy."

"Thank you?"

"No, I mean about the dreams, you're not crazy."

Joanne scrutinized her friend. She looked pale and frightened, on the edge of hysteria.

"What do you mean?"  
"I...I seen him Jo. The burned man. With the finger knives. His name's Freddy."

"What do you mean you seen him? Where?"

"In my dreams. He tried to cut me."

Joanne rolled her eyes.

"Are you making fun of me, Nadine? Because I swear -"

"DOES THIS LOOK LIKE I'M MAKING FUN OF YOU?" Nadine screamed, lifting her top just enough for Joanne to see the four cuts along her stomach.

"You..Could have scratched yourself."

Nadine laughed. Joanne didn't like her laugh. It was almost crazy.

"Yeah? And the slashes in my top? And what about this Joanne?" She lifted her pants leg to reveal the burn. "Did I do that in my sleep as well?"

Joanne's eyes widened and she shook her head.

"He's real..And not just after me."

"No, the question is, what the fuck does he want?"

Joanne shook her head once more.

"I don't know, Nad. But we're going to find out."

"How do we do that?"

"Come by my house around seven tonight."

"Okay, but why seven?"

"I have therapy after school."

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The school day had gone to fast for Joanne's liking. Although she hated school, she hated therapy even more.

She sat in the chair, looking around the sickly green room, with different posters for different self-help companies plastering the walls. The door opened and a young woman entered.

"Hi, Joanne?"

Joanne nodded.

"I'm Val." She held out her hand for Joanne to shake. Joanne hesitated before shaking her hand. Val sat down.

"So, Joanne. Do you know why you're here?"

"Because of my dreams?"

Val nodded.

"Do you think you explain these dreams to me?"

Joanne took a deep breath and explained the dreams of the night her sister died to Val, in as much detail as she could. She drew another breath, debating on whether she should say about being in the boiler room with Freddy or not. With an encouraging nod from Val, she explained about Freddy, her cut and how Nadine had experienced the same dreams.

Val took a moments to compose herself.

"I think these dreams, of your sister are repressed memories, but also a longing. Not only for your sister, but also to find out the cause of her death, that was put to you in the words of 'She died in her sleep.' Which, may cause you to be in distress, subconsciously, therefore, when you're asleep you take your frustrations out on yourself. When you awake, you're unaware you have harmed yourself, therefore it's lead you to believe you were harmed in a nightmare."  
Joanne paused trying to take it all in.

"And Nadine's dream?"

"You mean she had the same dream? Well, she'd gotten a scare from your reaction in the classroom. Once you had explained your dream to her, she would have been thinking about it, which is the most probable case of her experiencing a dream of the same nature and similar characters."

Joanne's brow creased in a moment of confusion.

'That doesn't explain the injuries.' She thought, but nodded anyway.

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Tapping her hand on the upholstrey, Joanne gazed out the window in her own little world. All she wanted to do was fall asleep, however she knew she couldn't. She didn't care what any therapist said, she knew the dreams were real. However the therapist had made some sense on some accounts.

"Mom?"

"Yes, Joanne?"

"Mom, how did Casey die?"  
Her mother took a sharp intake of breath.

"You know how she died, Joanne. She died in her sleep."

"Yes, but of what?"

Her mother pulled into their driveway.

"Natural causes, dear. It was just her time to go." She got out of the car, locking it once Joanne had gotten out and hurried into the house.

Joanne narrowed her eyes at her mothers departing figure, something was being hidden from her and she wanted to know what.


	6. Chapter 6

**Sorry for the delay. My illnesses have been acting up, plus with the run up to christmas, I've been busy as hell. I always seem to forget how large my family is! Also, I'm sort of struggling to join the beginning of this to the ending I have planned. Which sucks, especially since I have the making of another fan fic forming, but I want to finish this one before I start anything new. I think I've babbled on enough now, on with the story. (:**

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The creak of her door opening, brought Joanne back from her thoughts. She glanced up at Nadine's figure standing over her.

"So, what do we do?" Her friend asked.

Joanne thought her answer over, choosing her words carefully.

"I'm not entirely sure, in all honesty. We have to find his weakness, because I have a feeling he knows ours."  
"Do guys like him have a weakness?"

Joanne broke their eye contact and stared at the wall.

"Everyone has a weakness."

Nadine nodded.

"Okay. So, how do we find his weakness?"

Joanne shrugged.

"I guess, one of us has to fall asleep and the other can keep watch."

"Do we really have to face that creepy dude? We could just, never sleep again. "

"We'd die."

"We're going to die if we fall asleep anyway."

"Not if we can find a way to beat him."  
"Which is through his weakness that we have no idea how to find?"  
"Exactly."

"That's crazy."

"Crazy enough to work?"

"No, crazy enough to be stupid."

Joanne pinched the bridge of her nose and shut her eyes with a sigh.

"Do you have any better ideas?"  
Nadine shook her head, then realised Joanne couldn't see her.

"No, I don't."

"Then we use my plan."

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The girls sat up talking through most the night. After getting permission for Nadine to stay the night from both their parents, it had been decided that Joanne was to try and figure out Freddy's weakness, while Nadine kept a watchful eye over her friend.

"So, again if you -"

"See any sign of you having a nightmare, wake you up."

"Right and -"

"Don't fall asleep. I got it, Joanne, we've only been over it a billion times."

Joanne sighed and nodded.

"Okay, I'm going to sleep now."

"Okay, good luck."

She nodded once more, before getting comfortable and closing her eyes. It seemed liked only seconds, before she was once again in the maze of pipes and suspended chains. She shivered despite the intense heat and slowly walked through the corridors, hoping Freddy wouldn't jump out at her from behind somewhere. The familiar screeching sound bounced off the walls around her and eerie red light flickered. Joanne took a deep breath to calm her nerves and carried on walking forward, knowing he was near-by.

"Joanne.." A female voice. It sounded almost pleading. Confused, Joanne looked around, wiping her hair from her face.

"Hello?"

"Joanne, help me."

She began running, and skidded to a halt with a gasp. The girl standing infront of her was around her height, with an almost identical face. Her night-gown was slashed and bloodied.

"C-Casey?"

"Joanne, please, help me." Casey pleaded, as blood began to pour from every orfice.

Joanne backed away from her older sister in fright and disgust.

"You killed her...YOU KILLED HER! YOU BASTARD!"

Freddys manically laugh sounded from all around her. Joanne spun round on the spot, trying to locate him. A hand clasped round her throat and tightened around her windpipe.

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Nadine sat close to Joanne's sleeping form, reading by the dimmed light. She rubbed her eyes and yawned, she never was any good at staying up late. Her eyelids began to get itchy and they started to flutter. A gasping noise brought her to an aburpt awakening. Her head snapped around to Joanne, who was now beginning to choke and thrash. Nadine jumped up, knocking the small table and lamp to the floor in her haste. She grabbed Joanne by her shoulders and tried to shake her awake.

"Jo! Joanne! Joanne, wake up! Wake up, now!" She slapped her friends face lightly.

Joanne sat up with a gasp, tears streaming down her face.

"He killed her!"

Nadine shot her a confused look.

"What?"

"Casey! That bastard killed her!"

"How do you-"

"I seen her. In my dream. I seen her. It explains everything. My dreams." Joanne threw her covers back and got out of bed.

"Where are you going?"

"To find out the truth from my parents."

Marching downstairs, Joanne flung open the livingroom door.

"I want the truth." She announced. "I want the truth about Casey and none of this _she died in her sleep_ bullshit."

Her parents exchanged a worried glance, while Chris looked confused.

"What does she mean the truth?"

Their father sighed. Their mother patted the seat next to her.

"Sit down, honey. It's time you knew the truth."


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Okay, so this is the last chapter, mostly because I'm catching up with my plot and also, because it's boring me to write it, which can't be good.**

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Joanne slammed into her bedroom. She hadn't spoken to her parents for almost two days, since they told her what had really gone on. Chris sat waiting for her.

"They knew." She said while she paced. "They knew she was dreaming about him. They did nothing. Casey didn't know who Krueger was. And she begins to get hurt, at the same time as dreaming of him, after the murdered him and they don't find that odd. They murdered him. They murdered Casey."

"How the fuck could they keep something like this from us?" Chris asked, for the thousandth time.

"They're sick people."

"And you say you're dreaming of this Krueger guy?"

Joanne nodded.

"Nadine is, as well."

"And if he hurts you in the dream world, it appears in reality?"

"Yes."

"So if you died -"

"I'd die for real."  
Chris was silent for a moment.

"How do we stop him?"

"I don't know, I - wait. We?"

"Yes. We. As in, you and I."

"Chris, you're not getting involved in this."

Chris looked up.

"He's already taken one of my sisters, I'm not prepared to risk a chance of losing another to him. I don't care what you say, Joanne. I'm helping you in any way I can."

"You might die, Chris. I'm not letting that happen."

"I don't care if I die, Joanne. You're my sister and I love you, which means I'm willing to risk my life for your safety."

Joanne shook her head.

"Well I'm not willing to allow you to risk your life for me."

"We're in this together, whether you like it or not."

Joanne growled, knowing she wouldn't win this argument.  
"Fine. I'll call Nadine and we can come up with a plan, together. Agreed?"

Chris nodded.

"Good."

* * *

"So we go in together?" Nadine asked.

Joanne nodded.

"There's safety in numbers."

"So what's your brother got to do with this?"

"He's going to watch over us while we sleep."

"No way!" Chris exclaimed, jumping up from his spot. "If you think I'm letting you two go in alone, you're crazy."

"Chris, you've never even seen him. How're you supposed to come into the dream with us?"

"How do you know that you're both going to get into the dream?"

Joanne sighed tiredly.

"I don't, but it's a chance I'm willing to take."

"Besides, we need someone to stay awake and waken us up." Nadine chimed in.

"Look, you wanted to help, well I'm asking you to help." Joanne folded her arms and set her brother with a stony look.

Chris glared at his younger sister but nodded.

"Fine."

"Good. So, we're clear on the plan right?"

"Can we really call this a plan?" Nadine asked. "I mean, basically it's you and I attempting - and I stress the word attemtping - to go into a dream together, to see if we can stop whatever Freddy Krueger has become after his death. I mean, can a dead dude die again?"

Joanne shrugged. " I don't know, but we're going to find out."

"I still say this is too risky. We should find out more about -" Chris started.

"For the millionth time, it's a risk we have to take. We know all there is to know about Freddy, I mean, we're not going to find anything else, besides, I don't think Nadine or myself can stay awake much longer, which will result in our death." Joanne cut across.

"Tackling him could also result in death. I say we run for it."

Joanne raised her eyebrow at her brothers.

"How do you run from dreams?" He remained silent, lost of word. Of course, she was right. Dreams weren't exactly something you could run from.

Joanne turned to Nadine.

"Are you ready?"

Nadine shook her head.

"No, but I'll do it anyway."

Both girls made themseleves as comfortable as possible, as Chris took his post.

"Remember, wake us up at any sign of a nightmare. Even if it's just a whimper." Joanne said, pulling a blanket up to her chest.

" I know, I will."

"Oh, and Don't fall asleep."

Chris nodded at his younger sibling, almost fascinated by the determind look in her eyes.

"I won't. Just, be careful."

It was Joanne's turn to nod. She reached out and took Nadine's hand as her eyes fluttered closed.

* * *

Opening her eye's, Joanne peered around the room cautiously, before tutting and sitting up. She removed her hand from Nadine's who also sat it.

"Goddamn it, it didn't work!" She exclaimed, throwing her blanket.

"Maybe he knew what we were planning and decided not to chance it?" Nadine asked, standing up.

Joanne shook her head, then stopped.

"Hey, where's Chris?"

Both of them glanced to the spot where Chris should be, to see him fast asleep.

Nadine snorted as Joanne's anger flared.

"Chris! Chris, wake the fuck up, you idiot."

Chris's head jolted up as he awakened.

"What? What happened? Did you win?"

"No it didn't work. I told you not to fall asleep!" Joanne slapped her brothers leg while Nadine watched from the side-lines. She seen a glint as Chris brought his arms up from his side.

"JOANNE LOOK OUT!" Nadine screamed, pulling her friend out the way as Chris brought his hand down, upon which, was Freddy's glove.

Joanne stood, her mouth open in shock as she watched Freddy return to his normal form, chuckeling darkly.

"Run! Joanne run!" Nadine pulled at her cuff, forcing her to move. The two girls sprinted out the door, into the boiler room, coming to a rest after many twists and turns.

"At least we know it worked." Joanne panted, resting her hands on her knee's while glancing around, making sure Freddy hadn't followed them.

"I'm not sure if I should be happy or not." Nadine replied, backing up.

"Maybe not, but if we stay together we should be safer than if we were -" Joanne's words were cut off by a piercing shriek. She turned to see Nadine staring down at her abdomen in horror. Following her gaze, Joanne choked back tears as she seen four razors poking out of her friend. She watched in terror as the razors were brought upwards, shredding her friends flesh and insides, hearing the bones crack and snap. Nadine's corpse fells to the ground, revealing Freddy. Joanne debated for a milli-second, on whether she wanted to run, scream, or charge at him. As he stepped over Nadine, she turned on her heel and ran, refusing to look back, expecting to feel the razors rip at her flesh any moment. She reached a large pipe and hide behind it.

"This is my world, bitch. There's no where you can hide. So, let's stop playing games. I only want to kill you." Freddy's voice echoed around her, making it impossible for her to calculate his location. The screech of metal on metal soon replaced his voice, and it sounded to close for her liking.

"Please, wake up me, Chris. Please." She pleaded to herself, tears pouring down her face. Hearing footsteps passing, she held her breath, waiting for them to pass. With an almighty crash, the pipe she was hiding behind split in two, revealing her to Freddy. Joanne, once more dodged under Freddy's glove and ran, reaching the stairs to a catwalk, high above the ground. She heard Freddy's footsteps and chuckling behind her, she was sure she could feel his rancid breath on her neck.

"Gonna get you." Freddy cackled.

Joanne willed herself to run faster, her heart racing, her legs feeling as though they were going to fall off. Turning a small bend, she found herself at a railing. Glancing over, she saw a pool beneath and backed up slightly. She hated water. Turning, she ran into Freddy, the metalic smell of blood and charred flesh invaded her nostrils. Backing up to the railing once more, she took a deep breath.

"I'm not afraid of you, Krueger. You're just a nightmare, nothing more."

Freddy grinned, slowly edging towards her.  
"You're nothing." Joanne continued. " I don't believe in you."

"But I believe in you." Freddy charged at Joanne, sending them both into the pool below.

The water sloshed over the sides, taking a while to calm as the pair sturggled. The water turned dark, after a few moments and a clunking sound rattled through the pipes as Freddy's metalic glove hit the pool bottom. His fedora floated to the surface, before sinking again, through the wait of the water. A hand reached up through the darkened water and grabbed onto the poolside.

* * *

Chris stood at her side, holding her hand. He couldn't ever remembering seeing Joanne sleep so peacefully. That fact that, that bastard, Freddy Krueger couldn't bother her anymore, brought a small smile to his face and gave him peace of mind. He lay her hand down and moved away, next to his parents, watching as a small group of teenagers placed a rose next to her body.

"She can sleep peacefully now, right?" Chris asked, almost childlike.

"Of course. She can be with Casey now. They can both be together, and they'll wait for we can all be together again." His mother said, between sobs.

Chris nodded as the last of the people who were saying their goodbyes cleared.

"I'll get you Krueger, if it's the last thing I do." He vowed.

Just outside, a group of children were playing. Three girls were skipping, singing that eerie rhyme.

"_One, two. Freddy's coming for you..._"

* * *

**A/N: C'mon you didn't think I'd let Joanne win over Freddy, did you? (:**


End file.
